The benefits of not being a lead foot

[MikeK]

Greetings,

I've had the car for about five days now, and I wanted to share something I've noticed. I've been driving this car just like I drove my RAV4-EV, and the EV-1 before that. Which is to say, fairly gently. I accelerate gently and don't hot rod it from light to light, or scoot quickly around other traffic. Usually. I drive the speed limit, more or less.

I don't consider this "hypermiling" -- just laid back and relaxed driving. I don't creep away from lights or anything -- I just don't blast away from them. Again, usually.

The results are below. Long story short: in the current mild weather with relatively little need for heat or A/C, I'm meeting or exceeding the EPA rated range of the car. I've seen lots of folks reporting 350 Wh/mile or more, and that has certainly not been my experience. Now, granted, if you're into more spirited driving, you'll use more energy. But I just wanted to point out that you can get very nicely from point A to point B at the rated range without extreme measures.

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

Yep. I made it to work this morning using ~230 Whr/mile - so it can be done easily. just no hard takeoffs and cruise the speed limit (may be harder than it sounds if you had an ICE)

went out to give rides and I use ~ 500 whr / mile (30 mpg based on gas prices vs my power price)
still better than any gas car going on 0-80 runs!!

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

I was recently advised by a popular independent MINI service shop chap to gun my MINI Clubman S from time to time (on freeway on-ramps and such) as those cars were built for performance and that gentle driving could actually be counterproductive for some of the parts in there!

Not sure if any of that applies to the Model S but, just throwing in a data point.

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

I was told that the computer learns the driving behavior and you can actually get better gas mileage and more power if you run a gas car pretty hard for the first few thousand miles (after the short break in miles) This was for my 2008 Rav4. I did a bunch of 0-60's with it when I first had it but never compared it to another one so don't know for sure if it did anything

 

[vfx]

I was told that the computer learns the driving behavior and you can actually get better gas mileage and more power if you run a gas car pretty hard for the first few thousand miles (after the short break in miles) This was for my 2008 Rav4. I did a bunch of 0-60's with it when I first had it but never compared it to another one so don't know for sure if it did anything

Which is opposite to what I heard about babying an engine for the first few thousand miles.

Who cares? I don't.

 

[contaygious]

My projected was like 150 based on a 90% charge and now the ideal one (after update) is like 270. I'm guessing ideal isn't just a rename of projected as I was told...

 

[ibcs]

My 350 w/hr is based upon chilling Ohio weather. Heating the battery and the cabin draws considerably in the beginning. When driving on warm days I'm been able to see the 290 w/hr, but at 30 degrees 450 w/hr is not uncommon on a 20 mile trip.

 

[GSP]

Which is opposite to what I heard about babying an engine for the first few thousand miles.

Who cares? I don't.

Touché

The care and feeding of ICEs is so twentieth century!

GSP

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

My projected was like 150 based on a 90% charge and now the ideal one (after update) is like 270. I'm guessing ideal isn't just a rename of projected as I was told...

My Ideal is 273-277 when I charge regularly (depending on how long it sat & temp I think)
good to hear it is normal (or not :wink

 

[Lloyd]

Which is opposite to what I heard about babying an engine for the first few thousand miles.

Who cares? I don't.

Airplane engines require that you run them at full throttle (high cruise) for several 30 minute sessions, prior to releasing them to general service. The theory is that the sooner that you 'set' the rings and establish their wear pattern the better for the engine and it's longevity.

I have applied that to automotive engines that I have owned, without any other substantiation, with great results.

 

[FalconNinetyD]

Wow, those are some good #'s.

When applying a gentle foot, I can usually do about the same 230 Whs/mile in my wife's Volt, which is rated similarly to the Model S by the EPA, about 360 Whr/mile. Though the S is heavier, it's probably much more aerodynamic, especially on the underside of the car, which should help some.

Yep. I made it to work this morning using ~230 Whr/mile - so it can be done easily. just no hard takeoffs and cruise the speed limit (may be harder than it sounds if you had an ICE)

went out to give rides and I use ~ 500 whr / mile (30 mpg based on gas prices vs my power price)
still better than any gas car going on 0-80 runs!!

 

[ddenboer]

I like to use the performance of this car in getting on the highway... FAST
But I have a 36 mile highway drive in the commuter lane and overall, I average around 280-300 Wh/mi at 70mph.
What I find usually kills me is my drive to drop the kids off for school at 7:30am. It's cold here in the morning, and I am using 400+ Wh/mi on that trip (this morning it was 500+), and the traffic is usually stop and go on the highway at that time.

I am hoping over the Christmas break to go for a long drive and really test this thing out

 

[mibaro2]

Airplane engines require that you run them at full throttle (high cruise) for several 30 minute sessions, prior to releasing them to general service. The theory is that the sooner that you 'set' the rings and establish their wear pattern the better for the engine and it's longevity.

I have applied that to automotive engines that I have owned, without any other substantiation, with great results.

I also use to break-in new engines by varying travelling speed so the rings would wear-in.
Question now is : For the Tesla's ...is there anything special you have to do to break it in? I wouldn't think so. I was told there is nothing special to do to break-in the battery. Has anyone heard anything different?

Michael

 

[jerry33]

I also use to break-in new engines by varying travelling speed so the rings would wear-in.
Question now is : For the Tesla's ...is there anything special you have to do to break it in? I wouldn't think so. I was told there is nothing special to do to break-in the battery. Has anyone heard anything different?

Just seating the brake pads and wearing the mold release off the tires. The motors and battery don't have anything that they would need to break in.

 

[EcoHeliGuy]

Just seating the brake pads and wearing the mold release off the tires. The motors and battery don't have anything that they would need to break in.

And this is why the ICE will be dead in the near future, breaking in a MODEL S just sounds like way more fun :biggrin:

 

[brianman]

@MikeK - If you happen to visit the Seattle area, I'll buy you dinner if you can get that kind of consumption on the hill climb to my house in Seattle's 45 F weather. Challenge requirement: You have to keep the car within 10 of the speed limit (which is 45mph).

 

[MikeK]

Haha, no bet. Climbing the hill to my house also spikes the energy consumption. But my commute is overall rather flat, so it averages out very well. I will have to check the graph when I get in this morning. I was definitely using the heat last night around here.

 

[wycolo]

> It's cold here in the morning, and I am using 400+ Wh/mi on that trip (this morning it was 500+), and the traffic is usually stop and go on the highway at that time. [ddenboer]

If you leave home early it might be handy to install a ceramic space heater (with the dangling cord ala ICE block heater) to be timed on ~one hour before departure. Stick a post-it note to the charge plug! Then you will not reduce Range by having to heat the interior. Kinda like warming up the ICE while you eat breakfast. Plus you climb into a toasty ModelS.
--

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

Just seating the brake pads and wearing the mold release off the tires. The motors and battery don't have anything that they would need to break in.

My car had 27 miles on it - fully broken in. floored it in Tesla's parking lot + a few times on 237 doing 'passes'.

Heating in the morning is instant vs waiting for an ICE to heat up! Ice off the windshield in < 50% of the ICE time! (31 degrees today, nothing really cold)

First thing out of the driveway - floor it! :biggrin: then Wake up

 

[nrcooled]

I was recently advised by a popular independent MINI service shop chap to gun my MINI Clubman S from time to time (on freeway on-ramps and such) as those cars were built for performance and that gentle driving could actually be counterproductive for some of the parts in there!

Not sure if any of that applies to the Model S but, just throwing in a data point.

From my experience working on and racing cars this technique is used to blow out carbon deposits on the valves which can build up on more aggressively cammed cars (ICE). It can also be used to heat cycle the cyliders and pistons to achieve swelling which will "seat" the piston rings (helps keep compression high and leak down low). Neither one of these is a factor for the Model S and does not translate to an electric vehicle.